Nintendo to continue supporting Wii after release of Wii U

For those of you Nintendo Wii owners wondering about the fate of your beloved console after the launch of the Wii U, rest easy. You're Wii will continue to be supported with new software.

Nintendo of America's Vice President of Sales & Marketing Scott Moffitt confirmed in an interview that both the Wii and the Wii U will both be on the market for a "period of time".

"We sold 4 million new Wiis last year, and we think Wii still has a lot of life left in it," Moffitt said.

"There's a lot of parts of the expanded audience that still haven't purchased one, and with the price becoming more and more accessible we think there's a lot of runway ahead for the Wii," he explained. "You made the point yourself, at least in the Western markets, when a new piece of hardware becomes available the consumers don't all switch on day one to the new hardware."

Instead of the Wii U completely replacing the Wii, Nintendo will plan an approach similar to what they've done with the DSI and DSI XL after they released the 3DS.

Moffitt reiterated at CES this week, "Yes, absolutely the Wii and the Wii U will both be on the market for a period of time."

Moffitt cited two "different" audiences as the important factor in keeping both consoles available on the market at the same time.

"There's going to be an early adopter audience, there's going to be a lot of people that really want to get a Wii U when it comes out," Moffitt explained. "But there are a lot of people who are late adopters that are still discovering the magic of the Wii. There's a reason for being for both."

With the Wii U expected to cost much more compared to the Wii, it's not unreasonable to expect lower sales for the new console - at least at launch. Even Nintendo's Presidnet Satoru Iwata admitted that the Wii U is not going to be cheap and that it's meant for consumers who have a "higher disposable income".